Container-cover-mounted cutter



W. F. McKENNA. CONTAINER COVER MOUNTED CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. s. 1920.

1,361,080, Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

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WILLIAM FRANCIS MCKENNA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 CHARLES '1. DAVIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CONTAIN ER-COVER-MOUN TED CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

Application filed March 8, 1920.. Serial No. 364,220.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM F RANOIS MQKENNA, a citizen of the United States,

and resident of New York city, in the county New York, have inof Kings and State of vented certain new and useful Improvements in Oontainer-Cover-Mounted Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to containers and to a cutting device mounted on removable covers thereof.

There are numerous articles which may conveniently be packaged in bottles or similar containers with removable covers, and which prior to use should be cut open or into pieces. One example of this kind is afforded by the poison tablet provided with a protective coating, such as is set forth in my application #305,174, it being necessary that the outer coating of such tablets be ruptured or pierced to expose the contents thereof for use.

The necessity for cutting or piercing the outer part of the article, or for cutting the article into pieces, may cause some inconvenience when such article is to be used, owing to the absence of a suitable cutting implement. Furthermore, while such implement might conceivably be inclosed in or attached to the container, the necessity for providing a substantial handle therefor, especially when the article to be cut is relatively hard, would compel the use of a relatively bulky cutter. It would be obviously impractical to mount this on the outside of the container; and it would take up too much space if placed within the container.

A primary object of my invention is to avoid these difficulties and to solve the prob lems presented thereby, by providing a cutter carried by the usual bottle cork. With this arrangement, the cork may be employed as a handle or grip in using the cutter, thus facilitating the use of a relatively small cutting member, which will occupy a very small space, the device being readily manipulated and always present at the time when it is needed.

In the preferred form disclosed, another object is to produce a cutter which may be out interfering with the usual construction and use of such cork.

' A further object is to provide a cork mounted cutter capable of cutting relatively hard articles without damage to the cork or the engagement of the cutter therewith, caused by the heavy pressure necessarily employed in cutting such articles.

Another object of my invention includes the solution of the problems involved in providing a suitable package for articles of the type requiring cutting or breaking before use, the tablets protectively coated in accordance with the above-mentioned patent affording an example of such articles, and the construction disclosed being adapted for use with such tablets.

It is well recognized that the proper packaging of an article is highly important commercially, both for delivering the article to the user in proper condition and for promoting convenience in the use of such article. This object, therefore, includes the provision of a package consisting of a bottle or simi- .lar container adapted to be closed normally by a removable cork provided with cutting means, as this type of package is particularly advantageous in properly protecting and facilitating the use of articles such as have been above indicated. Such a package permits the use "of articles as needed, without interfering with the protection afforded the remainingarticles by the package, and facilitates the opening, cutting or rupturing of each article when removed, thus provid ing a very efiicient and convenient arrangement. 4 V 7 Other objects and advantages of my construction will be apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a front view of a package embodying my invention, part of the container being broken away, i

Fig. 2 is a perspective view a cutter mounted thereon,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of thecutter and shields, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the method of using the cutter.-

The package illustrated in Fig. l includes a suitable container, such as bottle 10, provided with a removable closure, such as cork 11. The cutter 12 is mounted on cork 11, preferably in position to project into the'interior of bottle 10 when the cork is in position therein, this arrangement protecting the cutter when the bottle is closed.

It will be apparent that a great variety of a cork with of forms of cutter may be used, and may be mounted on the cork in various ways. In the .form disclosed, I have employed a cutter 12 which includes a blade 13 havinga sharpened'edge, and a shank 1 1 adaptedto be inserted in the cork, said shank preferably being provided with a pointed end 15 for v this purpose.

' 'fromcutter12. "One form of: shield While I have disclosed a cutter formed of sheet metal and very simply and economically manufactured, it will be evident that my inventionis notlimited thereto, nor is it restrictedito the use of a 'sin'gleshank 14:

1 ror to acut'ter/generally flat in form.

Furthermore, I do not wish to be limited to='-a single "continuouscutting edge, as such cutting portion may obviously be varied in accordance with the form of cutter and the requirements of different particular uses.

, "I may. provide means engaging thecork to prevent the cutter 12 from being forced *thereinto farther than is desirable under'the "pressure of thecutting operation. For this purpose, I employ 'a shield 16 which may be integral with .or connected to, or separate which is 'simple ?and effective is in the form of a circular disk, as :shown best in Fig; 3, and is provided with a central aperture 17 through. which cutter 12 passes into the cork. I

' -Ifde'sired, suitable means may be carried 'by or formed on cutter 12 to engage shield 116 and prevent cutter 12 from passing there through beyond a certain point, one convenient'arrangement for thispurpose in eluding shoulders 18 on the edges or the cutter, this arrangement also providing a,

"red-ficedshank ltand facilitating the insertion thereof into the cork. without splitting or weakening the latter materially. I The method of use of the cutter depends 7 upon the nature of the article employed.

Fig. 4: illustrates a convenient method of employing the cutter to cut open coated tahletsfof the type described in said application. For this purpose, it-i-s simply necessary tonp'lace the tablet 19 upon a support, -and,.graspin'g thecork with onehand, force the cutter downward into the tablet. With this arrangement, it will obviously be easy to subdivide the tablet or any other article with considerable accuracy if less than the whole article is required for use.

It will be readily seen from Fig, 4: that while-:the exposed portion of the cutter occupies but a relatively-small space and will reduce the capacity of the-bottle only to a negligible extent, the cork affords ana-mple 'withoutinconvemence f y fol'ce ..g*1- 1,p which -may be grasped by the hand within i-reason may be exerted on the cutter,

as 'jthe shield lfi distributes the pressurenghout sulistiuitially the entire area of V t e end'oithe cerk,;-preventi ng; any possibility of rupturing the cork within the shield 16 may obviously be i orined in numerous ways, and may be adapted to cooperate with particular forms of cutters, it being obvious that the cutter and shield must be lesigned to it eachother if a separate shield is'employed. I also consider the word sh'ie'ld to include membersi'ormed on or from said cutter adapted to resist the penetration of the cutter into the cork be yond a predetermined point.

It will also be evident ,thatwhile I have described and illustrated a cutter mounted on the bottom orinner end of a cork, my invention is not restricted to this specificlocation of the cutter. I

The form of cutter disclosed herein is especially adapted for use on corks of the ordinary type; but my invention, in its broad asp'ect,is not restricted to bottles or to the use of corks for carrying the cutter, as such cutter may be mounted uponany suitable readily removable cover, and-other forms of contalner may beremployed nstead of a bottle- Other variations inthee'xact form of my invention will be evident to those skilled in the art, and fall withinthe scope of my invention 'as set forth inthis'specification.

I claim:

1. A combined container closure'and 'c'ut-' ting implement for bottles and'likecontainers, 'COIlSlStlllg of a stopper-adapted for normally closing'the opening of the container and'provi'd'e d with a metal blade extending *from one end'ot the stopper and formed with 'a "cutting edge of substantial length at the end of the blade remote "from the'stopper.

2. A combined stopper and cutting im-' plement iorbottles and like containers, consisting of a tapered stopper "oi round cross section adapted to cooperate with the bottle neck and provided withya relatively thin blade extending longitudinally from the small end of the stopper, the blade *havi'ng a relatively long cutting edge at its end.rc-

mote from the stopper. 3. "A combined: bottle stopper and cutting implement'consisting of 'abottle cork, a

-relatively t-hin metal bladehaving a shank inserted in one end of'th'e cork, the blade being provided with shoulders resting ,;.aga-inst the'endiof the cork, the having a cutting edge of substantial length at the end of the blade remote from the shank.

4. A combined bottle cork and cutting implement consisting of an approximately cylindrical cork and a thin knife blade having a shank extending into the cork from one end part Way to the other end, shoulders extending laterally at the base of the shank and a cutting edge ofsubstantial length at the end of the blade remote from the cork, 10

and a separate Washer apertured to receive the shank and placed between the end of the cork and the blade shoulders.

Signed at New York city in the county of Kings and State of New York, this 3rd day 15 of March, A. D. 1920.

WILLIAM FRANCIS MoKENNA. 

